NICEVILLE – Tiny crustaceans are already calling newly built oyster reefs home after 40 spring breakers chose work gloves and service over bathing suits and beer bottles.

Students from Georgia Tech happily waded in waist-deep murky water in Rocky Bayou on Monday. The team created a long assembly line by the shore, tossing bags of fossilized oyster shells near the water's edge.

The oyster reefs, or oyster habitats, are an effort by the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance to stop shoreline erosion, help rebuild damaged shores and create a healthier ecosystem for oysters, crabs and fish.

"The group we have wanted to do a big impact project together for spring break," said Rachel Gwin, Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance restoration coordinator. "We're thrilled to have their help."

The reefs are built 10 feet from the shoreline and piled into 20-foot-long sections, according to Gwin. There are 3-foot gaps between each section so marine life may pass through, with 5-foot-wide gaps every 100 feet for larger animals.

"We built 11 reefs last year," Gwin said. "Habitat wise, they're amazing. We get so much oyster recruitment on the reef sections that we build. The base of them are already covered in oysters. We have sea grass that's growing and sediment buildup that's helping to rebuild the shoreline."

The students aboard the boat Monday were as diverse as the marine life under them, each with a unique story as to why they chose volunteer work over the typical spring break.

Laxman Manickam of Singapore was one of several international students who also hailed from China, Russia, Dubai and India. He said he chose to come along on the trip to learn more about the U.S. and ecological and environmental projects.

"Some of my friends were doing it, so I thought 'why not join them?'" Manickam said. "I've learned stuff about oysters and how to preserve the shores like they're doing here in Florida. I've really enjoyed it."

Brandon Wilson of Mississippi said Monday was a day of many firsts for him as he took his first boat ride during the volunteer project. Wilson said he heard about the trip through a program for adults with learning disabilities.

"It's good for the shores of the beaches so when the storms come through, the big waves won't hit the shores and destroy them," Wilson said about the project. "It feels really good doing this."

The Choctawhatchee Basin Alligance's next big project will be working with the Eglin Air Force Base to build reefs on their reservations, according to Gwin.

"Those will be huge, huge reefs," she said. "We wouldn't be able to do as much as we do without our volunteers. We're always looking for more volunteers to help."